The unbeaten league leaders duly secured their anticipated bonus point win over a Heathfield side unusually handicapped by injury and availability issues. The pack in particular was well short of the strength that has otherwise done so well this season. Old Elthamians (OE) have won every match this season with a bonus point and have routinely scored over 50 points so a below strength team knew this was going to be a difficult day against a team that looked to be at full strength.
In spite of navigational issues which I shared (harumph!), a pleasing number of Heathfield supporters were on hand along with the inevitably strong home support. However I don’t think the overall crowd was any bigger than Heathfield enjoy on most league days.
Conditions were excellent for early March. A mild breeze across the pitch was irrelevant. The surface was firm and dry with a slight slope aiding drainage, along with a probably well-resourced grounds team that we can only dream about, resulted in as good a pitch as can be hoped for at this time of year.
Heathfield had some early possession but once OEs had the ball they immediately played to their strength in their backs with good handling and lines of strong running. After ten minutes two tries suggested that this was indeed going to be a long afternoon.
However approaching the end of the first quarter the visitors were starting to make an impact and a couple of penalties produced a good attacking position in the right hand corner. Tap ball was worked through several phases before Archie Mullins worked his way over on the left hand side.
Soon afterwards Toby Simpson had a fine solo effort into the right hand corner but he was adjudged not to have grounded the ball.
However OEs were enjoying majority possession and a strong scrum produced good ball which was worked wide for a decent try in the left hand corner.
OEs were then unable to exploit a fine 50-22 kick and Heathfield charged back down the other end. The home side were then handicapped by a yellow for, I think a flanker, but Heathfield were unable to exploit the extra man. Indeed OEs finished the half with their bonus point try as they turned over a Heathfield scrum before working the ball wide for an efficient finish in the left hand corner.
The half time score of 24-5 was a fair reflection of the game thus far. In the set piece OEs had clear advantage. Heathfield were doing better in the scrum than their ad-hoc selection might have suggested: they were often under pressure but mostly secured the ball in completed scrums. In the lineout Heathfield had their poorest day this season with a mixture of non-straight calls and home disruption rarely producing good ball. However notably, Heathfield, according to my doubtless fallible records, conceded no penalties in this half.
The second half opened with several extended periods of play, mostly with OE possession being contained by the visitors’ defence. Eventually quick recycled possession was moved wide right for a simple finish. A few minutes later the home no 8 continued his big try scoring season with another one off the back of a strong scrummage.
With a score of 38-5, pleasingly Heathfield were not content to accept the outcome and soon built an attack into the top left hand corner where Jack Pincus was just denied. Most of the play was now in the home 22 and there some increasing signs of home irritation. They had earlier been marched back 10m on a couple of occasions. This culminated with about ten minutes remaining when the home scrum half was shown a red card, reportedly for incautious comments.
However the in-balance of numbers was almost immediately corrected when Ben Irwin was now binned for obstruction of a try-scoring opportunity. OEs then completed their scoring with another attack ending with a precise cross-kick to their left wing who finished impressively well for their seventh try.
On a difficult day Heathfield will be pleased that they managed to finish on a positive note as repeated possession was finally ended when Harry Slinnhawkins muscled his way over from short range and Toby Simpson then added the extras.
OEs are obviously going to be promoted this year. We have become used to teams passing through this league on their way to higher things leaving proper community clubs having a good time scrapping over local bragging rights with no danger of being promoted into a higher league where other factors come into play.
The Heathfield pack today lacked many regular members so today’s members all did well. George Hayter, Aiden Plumley and Pincus were especially picked out along with props Dylan Eames (stoutly playing out of position and making some good contributions) and veteran Craig Martin doing the full eighty in spite of a dodgy knee. Ladies head Coach Dan Suggitt will doubtless have benefitted from his much-appreciated contribution as a replacement in midfield. The other replacement Lawrence Patten also did well on his first appearance at this level.
After a week’s rest Heathfield welcome Beccehamians who they only just beat earlier this season (21 Mar 3.00).